Frozen Time and Burning Desires
by Wyrmsbane
Summary: "She is the bringer of death and destruction. She will awaken once more to find what has been lost. Deny her of her desires will redo what has been-the frozen wasteland-the annihilation." The prophecy has been set in motion as soon as Hiei thawed Sayuri out of the frozen glacier. How will they prevent the destruction of the three worlds when they can't agree on anything? HIEIxOC.
1. Dreams and Awakening

**Author's Note:** This is my first Hiei fanfiction story; he is my all-time favorite…and I LOVE HIS CHARACTER so much. I would love to receive criticisms to know your opinion. I am not perfect…so help me! I hope you'll like seeing another side of the characters as the story flows!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. It was written and illustrated by my idol Yoshihiro Togashi. I only own Sayuri and a little bit of the plot.

 **Chapter 1: Dreams and Awakening**

 _"_ _Free me…"_ The voice was echoing in Hiei's mind. He was treading the cold and snowy path of a place where he first breathed into life. He cursed and shivered, all he wanted was to get out of this wretched place that held one of the most painful memories he had. If he can freely exercise his desires, he would have burned the place to irreversible meltdown. His midnight black hair that defies the gravity is being blown back down by the strong blizzard. He held is new cloak closer. He needed a change of cloak as he already outgrew the old one he had. He was now standing at a height of 5'10. His new cloak is still black but is lined with white and grey on the edges and falls right under his knees.

 _"_ _Search for me…I have been waiting centuries for you…"_ The same voice was egging him and it's starting to get louder. His path was put into halt when a huge glacier stood in its elegance in front of him. He sees talismans and warding around the glacier as if to keep something away or keep something from going out. He gazes deep inside and sees a figure trapped. He could not make out the figure but it has a form of a woman. He felt his arm tingle; his dragon was reacting and begging to be released. Alas, the dragon freed itself under his control and smashed against the glacier, melting everything in its path. The steam rise after the onslaught and he saw a silhouette floating amidst. Once the chemical reaction from fire and water cleared, he saw a woman clad in a beautiful pearl white kimono with deep blue printed flowers which was held together with a blue obi. Her silky silver hair was glistening, free flowing until her waists—it was teasing the wind, not a flaw not a curve on them. Her face was small and was edged by her straight bangs that covered her forehead until her eyebrows. He can clearly see that this woman was breathtaking. Her lids slowly opened and revealed the most dazzling icy blue orbs but it held no emotion in them. He realized that this being though beautiful was one of _them._ A Koorime.

Her tantalizing blue orbs slowly locked with his crimson ones. The coldness vanished and was replaced with unfathomable longing. She descended upon the snow and he sees her ankles slowly embedding the surface. She approached him walking then picking up pace, reaching of him as if she feared of losing him again. Just before she reaches him…he woke up.

This was not the first time he dreamt of her. It has been months since she invaded his slumber, his world that should have been his refuge and it bothered him. He isn't the type to meddle on things he deemed not worthy of his time but having to dream about this woman annoyed him greatly. He found himself at the foot of the mountain sighing as he reluctantly leaped through every branch of trees; moving high up the slopes covered in massive snow. With his inhuman speed, he was able to reach the Koorime village. He settled on a high tree branch and beckoned his power of sight—the Jagan eye. His Jagan eye searched for every face of the Koorime in the village to find that woman. He decided to run her through with his sword as soon as he finds out that she's a threat and is only luring him to this god forsaken village of women. Although, it's hard to tell time as the village never basked under the sun's radiance, he does notice that his surrounding's slowly engulfed by the dimness of the night. He closed his eyes and slowly recalled his dreams of her, trying to take whatever information he could gather just to find this woman. His concentration was abruptly disrupted with a beeping sound that seemed to come from his pocket. He opened the communicator Koenma gave him. After the screen cleared, he saw the toddler version of Koenma peeking as if he's going to pop out of the small screen.

"Hiei! This is urgent; we recently detected a phenomenon in Koorime Mountain." Just as Koenma said, Hiei felt a pulsing energy coming from his left. He gazed and found it's radiating from the peak of the mountain right above the village.

"I noticed that you are near, please check this out and eliminate if it is a threat. Kurama is coming in 10 minutes." Koenma continued and the screen went back to blank.

 _"_ _Damn it!"_ He grudgingly leaped from the branch and travelled towards the peak where the unusual energy emitted. Just when he reached the apex, his own energy pulsated. He became paralyzed and was immediately brought to his knees. He was aware of this feeling—in his dream. He watched his arm tremble and dark fire is starting to form. The snow under his palms began to melt faster and burying his arms to the melted snow.

 _"_ _No…stop."_ He tried to command it using his Jagan eye. He removed his cloak and watched the warding bandages being forcefully obliterated by his dragon.

"I said stop!" The dragon sprouted from his arm and shoot up to the dark skies. The force of the release shook the mountain and an avalanche formed; raging towards the village.

"No…" He was suddenly worried of the tragedy that will befall on the cursed village until he found that it was enveloped with glacial shield. He almost forgot that the elders of the village were also strong ice demons.

His eyes followed his dragon as it slowly descended towards the familiar mound a few feet away from him. His eyes grew when he saw the familiar glacier. It was the glacier from his dreams. Moments after his dragon crashed on to the glacier, he just stood there with his mouth gaping and waiting for the onslaught to end. And just like his dream, he watched the steam clear and waited for what arises. Instead of a beautiful woman, he was suddenly pushed back with a force he is so familiar with yet he is unsure of. It was similar with his black dragon in a way but also different. He was greeted with a white energy that seemed to loom and tangle with his own. Once he was able to get a full view he saw his darkness flames dragon entwined with a pure white dragon. In a brief moment both energies dissipated and he felt his dragon return and calmed. He can feel contentment and ease being radiated from his own power. He grabbed his cloak and tossed it on his right shoulder as he made his way through the rummage. Steam was prickling his face as he gazed around only to find an unconscious woman in the middle of the mess. He reached for her and noticed that her kimono was damp; he eased his cloak and covered her body before scooping her to his arms. Kurama arrived just in time for Hiei to ask him to contact Koenma.

"Koenma, we found a girl where the aura was emitting from. She's unconscious." Kurama held the communicator towards the unconscious Koorime in Hiei's arms.

"Bring her back here." Koenma abruptly said and opened a portal for Hiei and Kurama. The two turned to the gaping portal and disappeared from the mountain.

Just as they left, two cloaked figure arrived at the peak. They started looking around the rubble of ice and snow. One of them raised his hands and signaled to move together.

"She is not here. Her scent was here but I can no longer trace any of her presence." A huge cloaked man spoke with his deep rumbling voice.

"We will have to let Master know." A relatively smaller figure said with a feminine voice. With that both of them disappeared from the site.

-o-

The Spirit World's medical team rushed to gather the unconscious Koorime from Hiei's arms. Her slender petite figure was laid on to a stretcher and she was rushed to one of their medical facilities. Kurama and Hiei were summoned to Koenma's office immediately. They reached the tall double door and gently pushed them open. They were greeted by a muffled sound behind heaps of paperwork. A toddler popped out to the sides and motioned them to take a seat.

"Take a look at this." Koenma grabbed what seemed to be a remote control and a huge flat TV descended in front of Hiei and Kurama. The picture played and they found the same woman standing on the screen. She was walking with another ice maiden like any typical girls with their friend. Then she was suddenly brought to her knees begging her friend to run away. She was glowing and for a moment there was a blinding light along with the appearance of a great white dragon. The elders of the village came rushing towards her and were chanting the sealing spell.

"Seal her! Do not let her get away."

"I can't believe it, the prophecy came true. The Heretic!"

"We can't let them meet! We have to make sure none of our maidens' fall for the cursed fire tribe!"

"We must prevent the prophecy! We must kill the _imiko._ "

She was rampaging and destroying everything she could. However, her eyes were blank and it was as if she was possessed. Hiei felt a tug inside him. They called her heretic—she was an ice maiden like them but was treated like an abomination—like him. The scene ended with her being trapped in a frozen barrier. Koenma flipped the remote and the TV returned to its original hidden compartment.

"We tried so hard to figure out what prophecy the ice maidens were talking about. However, this happened five thousand years ago. She is ancient." Koenma sighed at a loss of information.

"Have you discussed this with the Koorime elders?" Kurama laced both of his fingers and seemed to be in a deep thought.

"No, I have not. I fear for what they might do to the woman. As far as I'm concerned, all of this was not her intention. She seemed to have abruptly lost control of the power she may not be aware of." Koenma walked back to his chair.

"She might be dangerous." Kurama added which sparked an idea within Koenma.

"I have requested the medical team to place a sealing brace on her wrists. However, she is going to be defenseless from every demon attack. Right now, she's merely as weak as a normal human. I wanted to assign Yusuke in guarding her but he won't come back in 2 weeks. I am afraid that he's still in honeymoon stage with Keiko. I can't risk their marriage for protecting a very beautiful ice maiden as that." Koenma placed his hand on his chin.

"How about you, Kurama? Can you take care of her for the mean time?" Koenma placed both of his palms on his desk and leaned over to Kurama.

"I must apologize, Koenma—but I have to deal with my mother's recent hospitalization. I can't look after her at the moment. Please reconsider Hiei for it." Kurama glanced at his three eyed friend. Koenma is aware of this circumstance.

"I am avoiding assigning this to him because of the fact that Hiei has something against the ice maidens. However, if you accept Hiei—I'll be in your debt and I promise to double your pay." There was clear hesitation on Koenma's voice.

"Only for 2 weeks, reassign it to the detective after." With that, Hiei left and went to the medical facility where they kept her. It went smoothly much as to Koenma's surprise. However, Hiei has his own agenda of finding out who this woman is and what is her purpose with the prophecy that mentioned an _imiko_.

"That went surprisingly well for Hiei. Ah, if only I can guard that beauty myself." Koenma and Kurama just chuckled.

-o-

Hiei was walking towards the room where they kept her. His left hand held the knob and twisted the door open. He let himself in and dragged his lazy feet towards the foot of her bed. He gazed at her sleeping figure and placed both of his hands in his pocket. She's centuries old and she seemed to look the same. Only the strongest demons can remain young looking or rather this may be the effects of her body being frozen. His gaze travelled from the messy bangs caressing her forehead until her pinkish small lips. He clearly remembered they were pale and blue when he found her sprawled on the snow bed. There was a subtle rise and fall of her chest and color starting to come back on her pretty face. He felt that tug again, his brows furrowed and he cursed. He needs to figure out what is causing him these unwanted tugs from within. Before he could leave the room, he heard a muffled moan. He saw how gently her eyelids flutter to open. Her slender hands were trying to shield her blue orbs from the blinding rays of the bright lights. He watched her slowly struggle to sit and grab for anything she can hold on for support.

She can feel her world spinning as the bright lights harass her eyes which had long been closed into slumber. She felt her body ached all over as she scuffle for anything she could reach. She felt the cold steel framing her bed and grasp it to pull herself up. As she steadied herself, she realized she was not alone in the room. A man, clad in black and gray was standing at the foot of her bed with his head tilting to one side. She can feel those red orbs piercing and burning holes in to her blue ones. Her eyes grew wide in surprise.

"You…" She said it as if she recognized him—as if she knew him. "You keep invading my dreams."

Hiei did not utter a word and slowly approached her with his hands in his pocket. She did not flinch despite the killing aura the man is emitting. He reached to grip the hair right at the top of her nape and forced her to look deep into those seething crimson eyes. She instinctively grabbed the hand that's assaulting her hair as if to comfort the pain.

"Do not make a fool out of me _onna_." He said as she saw his forehead glow. He telepathically sent her visions of his dream; letting her know that it was her that is bothering him and not the other way around.

"Hiei, what are you doing?!" Koenma rushed towards the two now appearing as his mature self. Hiei let the koorime go and paced towards the chair on the far corner of the room; dropping his body to the soft cushion. Koenma sighed and approached the ice maiden. She was easing herself back after Hiei's assault.

"I'm sorry, Miss." She looked up to meet a gentle pair of brown eyes but she was immediately distracted with his weird "JR" tattoo etched on his forehead. "He will be your guard and most certainly, he can protect you. He's just a little moody. I am Koenma, prince of the Spirit World. May I know your name?"

"My name's Sayuri. What do you mean guard? Why do I need a guard? I need to go back home." She slowly swings her legs to the side and attempted to get off the bed when her knees gave in. She shut her eyes, expecting for her body to slam on the cold floor when she realized her palms were resting on a broad chest. She looked up and locked gazes with the crimson eyed demon again. Hiei, as much as he hated it—he seemed to automatically launch to her rescue. He towered over her small frame, intimidating her and giving her a nudge to go back to bed before he snaps. She barely reached 5 ft. and she can clearly feel the difference between them. She immediately crawled back to her sorry excuse of a bed. Hiei slumped back to the chair where he was from and allowed Koenma to explain things to the ice maiden.

"I am sorry but it has been five centuries since you were forced into slumber. You lost control of your latent power." Koenma eased himself on the edge of her bed and waiting for her reaction.

"I think, I'm starting to remember when Emi and I were walking—that's when everything turned black." Tears suddenly fell from her eyes as she now realized that she almost caused destruction to everything she had loved.

"Do you know of the prophecy that the elders spoke of when they sealed you?" Koenma was careful not to stir anything from the ice maiden.

"I'm sorry, I am not aware of any prophecy. So, the village decided to seal me off from the world…have I hurt anyone?" Her voice was weak and trembling.

"No…you were sealed before you could destroy the village with your rampage." He put a hand on her shoulders as if to comfort her from the scars she was just made aware of. "Sayuri, you will have to go into hiding for now as I fear that demons may be after your life—more so, I need you to be away from Makai. We're sending you to Genkai's temple."

"I only agreed protecting her and did not hear about this short notice trip!" Koenma can feel Hiei's anger from where he sat. He sweat dropped as he raised his hands and try to bargain with him.

"Well, she's safer on the other side since only lower class demons can pass through and you can easily contain any situation." Koenma tried to reason with the fire demon. "Besides, easy kill easy mission and you can go back to Makai after two weeks without dropping a sweat!"

"Hn." It appears that Koenma got Hiei's best interest.

"I've placed restraining bracelets around your wrist to manage your powers. It's seems that you are holding one of the ancient dragon powers within you. I'll research more about it to see what else we could do for you. For now please be under Hiei's care." Koenma turned to the ice maiden who seemed to be bewildered as to what happened to her the past centuries.

-o-

Their trip to Ningenkai was silent and quick. They arrived at Genkai's temple in the wee hours of the evening. Sayuri was in awed at the scenery behold on the other side of the portal. She held her breath as she took her first step into the human world. The moon was high up in the sky and the stars were glittering. If there is one thing you can appreciate in Genkai's temple that's perched up the mountains—it's far from city lights. The moonlight played with the natural color of the forest. It seemed magical, almost ethereal to her sights. The once lush green that you can appreciate in the morning is now in hues of blue. The fireflies that reflect their light on the nearby pond made the temple look so romantic. Basked in this breathtaking setting; it would have been perfect if you were with the one you love. The thought made her look at the fire demon she was following—he seemed different in her dreams. She watched how his upper back muscles ripped through the fabric of his cloak. She watched every swing of his strong arms and how it felt when he held her as she stubbornly tried to leave the bed. His other arm was holding both of their bags propping them on to his shoulders. Her gaze went to his strong graceful strides and how the tall grass seemed to part as he made his way through. He has a well-toned physique worthy to be nearly called a god…a War god to be exact. She remembered how beautiful those crimson eyes despite the dark emotions it held. The firm line of his mouth which never seemed to smile was sexy. She agreed that he is quite handsome but managed to shake the thought. She sighed and was made aware that despite how physically perfect he looks—he is no-where near a gentleman. Her brows furrowed when she recalled how he held her hair and forced her to face him—it hurt. He never even bothered to utter a single word to her while they were travelling. _"Asshole…"_ She cursed inside her mind.

" _Onna…_ make up your mind if you want to drool over me or curse me." Hiei, the ever so proud demon had to burst her bubbles and embarrass her. Her eyes grew wide of shock and humiliation—he was literally aware that she was gawking at his features.

"You…read my mind?! That's rude!" Sayuri's face distorted in to an angry scowl while she pointed a finger at him.

"Says the one who called me an _asshole._ " Hiei scoffed at her stressing the last word which made her face hot and it's probably beet red if it weren't for the dark that conceals it.

"Well…I-I don't care if you're the War God wannabe but your personality is a total turn off! Your appeal does not affect me one bit!" She stammered then crossed her arms and sticks her tongue out towards him.

"Hn." His grunt was more like letting her know he doesn't care of her opinion. Before she could say another word, a small old woman came from the temple to greet them.

"Hello Hiei. You may put your belongings inside." She watched and gaped as the old woman greeted the fire demon casually and he returned with a nod. Her hair has a strange shade of pink and gray. "You must be Sayuri…the little lily." The old woman chuckled as she turns her gaze from the ice maiden to the lilies on her pond.

"Hello, Genkai-sama—thank you for letting me stay in your temple. Please take care of me." Sayuri gave a low bow to the master of the temple.

"Just call me Genkai. There's another ice maiden in the temple—I'm pretty sure you'd be happy to see her. Her name is Yukina, Hiei's sister." Genkai lead her inside the temple.

"Hiei has a sister and she's an ice maiden too? How is that possible?" She asked looking intently at the psychic. She could imagine that she might be as moody as her brother—probably a splitting image.

"It is not my story to tell my dear. Now come in, it's getting pretty late and I know you're in the process of regaining your health." She brushed Sayuri off and let her choose one of the rooms in the temple. Before she could even pick one, Hiei came around the corner and told her where he left her bag.

She counted from one to three trying to contain her irritation towards the fire demon who never seemed to fail from getting under her skin. She slid open the shoji door of her room and was a bit surprised that the door was modernized and it was heavy unlike the typical shoji doors of the old. It seems Genkai likes to preserve tradition but put a touch of new technology. She made her way to another door in her room and found that there's a bathroom within. She looked at the weird furnishings with knobs and a seat that has a hole and water in it. She seemed to realize that one of them is a typical tub but there's a weird long snake like metal with a wide round end filled with holes. She tilted her head on to the sides and made her way back to the bedroom. She opened another shoji door and was lead to the veranda. Genkai's temple was formed around a beautiful cherry blossom tree. Sayuri guess that the tree is quite old judging from its size and the wide range of the branches that blooms. Her hand reached out to a stray petal floating gently towards her. She opened her palm and caught the perfect heart shaped petal. She smiled and was thankful at this beautiful place. She never knew that the world of humans held such wonder. She held the tiny petal between her thumb and her index finger then she slowly leaned to get a whiff of the cherry blossoms smell. She then blew the petal away and let the breeze carry it slowly until it reached the pavement below.

Unknowingly, Hiei watched her the whole time and how her serene face seemed to glow under the moonlight. He was balancing himself on one of the cherry blossom's branch and was concealed with the thick flowers. He slowly crouched to get a better view of her slender figure. He watched how her fingers gently waving braids of her silver hair to the side with half lidded yes. She was a paradox, one moment she's annoyed and another she's calm. He smirked at the recollection of how she thought of him and felt his ego boost. Not that he cared about her having romantic fantasies of him—he was just a proud being. But then he has not forgotten what she said; " _Your appeal does not affect me one bit."_

"We'll see about that… _onna._ " Hiei whispered under his breath and Sayuri did not know that she signed her own death wish. He watched her retreating frame and he eased himself on the branch; lying on his back with one knee bent. He just shook his head when she deliberately refused to close the shoji doors of the veranda. "She is never too careful."

Sayuri turned back from the veranda leaving her shoji doors open. She always liked the night breeze teasing her skin until she falls asleep. She grabbed one of her hadajuban and changed behind the folding partition screen on the far corner of the room facing the veranda shoji. She slid into the futon and tried to find a comfortable position for her. She gently turned to her left side with her back facing the veranda's door. She already had a long slumber and she felt like she was trapped in a world of endless dream. Apparently, she does not understand why both she and Hiei were dreaming of each other despite not being able to meet. She was clearly aware that she seemed to be centuries older than the fire demon who barely even reached maturity—both mentally and in spiritual energy. She was sealed before he was born. She was a bit disappointed; in her dreams he was gallant. She always finds herself running after him but it's as if it was not her body. She would feel this deep longing. And every time she falls down he would reach for her but she was never able to grasp the outstretched hand. He would then disappear from her sights. She would also dream of an unknown woman being held back as she reached for a bloodied man that lay on the cold snowy slope. This woman had a teal blue shade of wavy hair and her eyes were silver and almost serpent like. She had two pairs of horns poking out above her pointed ears. Her skin was perfect like a porcelain doll. The injured man may have been her lover, he had this long silky midnight blue hair but she never get the chance to see his face. Her last dream before being sealed was the same woman, wiping everything and freezing what seemed to be a world with five kingdoms. She thought that her dreams were ambiguous but it was trying to warn her about something. She only hoped that whatever it was, it was long gone during the five thousand years that she had been sealed. She just wanted peace and what Koenma offered her here felt like salvation—she can start a new life again. She can move on from her dreams and embrace her awakening.

 **End Notes:** Just a little information for some words that may not be familiar to some:

Koorime – ice maiden

Imiko – cursed child

Hadajuban – first undergarment worn in the kimono attire.

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! I'll work hard to release the second chapter soon! Thank you for reading!


	2. Sealed and Exiled

**Author's Note:** So I decided to release the second chapter after a few days. Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. It was written and illustrated by my idol Yoshihiro Togashi. I only own Sayuri and a little bit of the plot.

 **Chapter 2: Sealed and Exiled**

The skies were flush as the sun rays edged the corner of the world—signaling another day. The trees were still wet with the dews caused by condensation of atmospheric vapor that formed overnight. A lazy figure rustled beneath the comfortable futon and a muffled moan echoed within the room. Sayuri's demon ears twitched, reacting to the gentle chirping sounds of the birds coming from outside her veranda. Her eyelids fluttered open as she propped her body with her left elbow. She had a peaceful sleep tonight; no dreams of a grumpy red eyed fire demon. She shifted her weight from her elbow and propped her body completely with her two arms. The sleeve of her hadajuban fell from one of her shoulders when she removed the blanket off. Her garment was a mess probably from tossing and turning in her sleep. The edges that supposed to cover her legs had raised and she felt a slight shiver from the morning breeze. She gathered a new set of yukata and made her way to the bathroom, ready to tackle the unknown technology. She giggled as she tried to understand the different knobs perched on the edge of the tub. She turned each one and realized that it sprouts warm and cold water. She grabbed the snake like apparatus and wondered what it is for. It has holes on the rounded head. She traced the other end to find that there's another knob for it. She gently turned the knob and let it go when water sprayed right to her face. She turned the knob again, making a mental note not to use the spray thing as she deemed it dangerous.

The breeze was still cold and was teasing the flowers of the cherry blossoms. It swayed gently left and right and was meant to be a relaxing view except for a certain fire demon that seemed to dig his left hand on the trunk and his right hand gripping a branch. He almost fell off the tree; unprepared for the first thing his sleepy eyes would land in to. He caught a glimpse of her shoulders and how the stray silver hair teasingly cascaded on the milky white skin. Her hadajuban was raised so high that the image of her feminine legs burn deep in his mind. It was enough for him to gawk, slap himself and pull his drifting soul back to his body. He was not appreciative of anything weak and fragile—especially this sorry excuse of a koorime. However, he was aware that the koorime was a sight to behold like there's something different emanating from her being. He leaped off and landed on his feet with his knees slightly bent to cushion the fall. He wanted to calm his nerves and decided to vent out his frustrations in the demon forest.

-o-

Sayuri carefully tied her obi and took a last glance at herself on the mirror. Once satisfied with the way she looked; she head out to the kitchen. There she met a bubbly ice maiden who seemed to busy humming to herself that she barely noticed Sayuri entered the kitchen. She had a beautiful teal colored hair tied with a red ribbon. She's even smaller than Sayuri and was so adorable busying herself in the kitchen. Sayuri can't help but smile at the girl—she's far livelier than most ice maidens in the village. She wondered how long she'd been away from the place.

"Hello!" Sayuri greeted the other ice maiden and to her surprise; she watched Yukina gasp and almost throw the bowl.

"Hi! Oh my gosh, you scared me…" Yukina's face was flushed as she set the bowl down the counter. Her other hand was on her chest trying to calm her heart. Sayuri noticed that she also had the same crimson eyes as Hiei.

"I'm sorry! You must be Yukina-chan…I'm Sayuri." She held out her hand to the other koorime.

"Hello, Sayuri-san." Yukina gently took her hands. Sayuri noticed that she is a sweet and meek girl; so unlike her brother.

"Can I help?" Sayuri pulled out a ribbon tucked in her obi and started to tie her hair up into a bun. Yukina beamed at the offer and nodded. Sayuri can't help but want to hug the tiny girl for being so cute.

"I really appreciate this Sayuri-san. It's rare for me to find another ice maiden outside the village." Yukina blushed as she started to prepare the natto salad.

"I'm also happy that you're here. I think…I would rather feel lonely being alone now." There was sadness in her tone that caught Yukina's attention.

"Is it alright…if you tell me your story? I'm sure; you're here because of your circumstance too. Just like me and my brother; Hiei." Yukina looked away, remembering how her brother was casted out of their village.

Something with the mention of Hiei's name just popped a vein in Sayuri's head. She remembered his arrogance the other night and reading her mind.

"I like you, Yukina-san because you are so nice. However, Hiei-san is just so infuriating sometimes." She sighed as she continued to cook the eggrolls. She expected that Yukina would defend her brother but she apparently agreed and giggled about it.

"He's been like that! And to think he kept his secret as my brother for a very long time. It wasn't as if I never noticed!" Sayuri giggled at Yukina making a face. "And he's always; _HN…HN…HN…_ " Yukina mimicked Hiei's expression and crossed her arms in front of her. Sayuri couldn't contain herself and guffawed at the sight.

While they were busy a small blue creature crept on the corners of the kitchen and grabbed one of the sausages on the counter. It was Yusuke's spirit beast—Puu. Yukina caught a glimpse of the beast in the corner of her eye picking on the sausage.

"Puu! NO!" Yukina tried to stop the creature but it flew away. Sayuri was bewildered at what was going on. "We need to stop him or he's gonna have a bad stomach ache again!"

"Leave it to me! Please handle the breakfast. I'll go get the poor thing." Sayuri disappeared from the corner before Yukina could protest.

Kurama arrived at Genkai's temple directly through Koenma's portal. The place was so serene and he can smell Yukina's cooking breakfast. He breathes in the scent; miso soup, natto salad, egg rolls, pickle and sausages. He smiled as he caught the stray strands of his red hair and decided to tie them into a pony tail. He contemplated to have his crimson locks cut short as it is starting to bother and tickle his face. He picked up his duffle bag and made his way into the entrance. The peacefulness was disturbed when he heard a crash and a scream at the left side of the temple. He ran towards the noise and before he could turn into a corner, he felt his body being thrown backwards and falling on the wooden floor. He was pretty sure he saw Puu flying above his head as if he was being pursued. He can feel the dull ache on his back radiating to his buttocks. He propped his left elbow for support and his right hand rubbed the back of his head to ease the pain. Then his hands shifted to something heavy on top of him. His green eyes opened as he heard a moan. Silver strands sprawled on his chest and a delicate figure slowly eased herself up to meet his gaze. His dreamy green eyes meet the hazy blue ones. There was silence in between them until he saw her face turned beet red. Her blue eyes travelled down to see where his hands landed. His own green eyes followed her gaze and locked into his right hand—right on top of her soft mounds. They both jumped away from each other and muttered long lines of apology.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…I didn't mean to bump into you." She was in dogeza form.

"I'm sorry, my hand—I didn't know…oh dear, this is awkward." He was in dogeza form.

They both stared at each other and laughed. Yukina was running towards them and asked if they were both alright. Kurama stood up and brushed his clothes then held his hand to Sayuri to help her get up.

"Hi, I'm Kurama. Well, my human name is Shuichi Minamino. I'm sorry we didn't meet when you woke up but I was with Hiei when we found you." He tilted his head to the side and flashed a smile.

"My name is Sayuri. Thank you for taking care of me." She replied with an abrupt bow, knowing that he is one of her benefactor. She blushed realizing that the gentleman was very charming. She was awed at his long crimson hair that begs to be touched. She can easily get lost in those dazzling sea green eyes. The manner in which he carries himself is so elegant the she thought he may be a royalty. She can feel her chest tighten whenever he utters a word making her a little bit breathless. He was her ideal man and the thought of it made her cheeks hot. He looked presentable in a white long sleeved shirt, dark jeans and white converse sneakers. She didn't know that human clothing can be so simple. He seemed to be as tall as Hiei but a little bit slender in frame—almost feminine.

Yukina ushered them inside the living room and let them know that breakfast will be prepared soon. Hiei saw them enter the temple; in fact he already saw everything from when Kurama bumped into Sayuri. It didn't bother him but he noticed Kurama flustered for the first time. He just shrugged and followed them into the temple for breakfast. When he arrived in the dining room; Genkai was sitting on the head seat with Kurama on her right and Yukina on her left. His eyes landed on the silver haired koorime that's seated beside Kurama. He noticed her slightly flushed cheeks and stolen glances toward his redhead friend who was busy talking to the hostess. Hiei sat beside his sister and was facing Sayuri.

"Ah, Sayuri-san…let me get you some miso soup." Kurama grabbed Sayuri's bowl before she could even object.

"Kurama-sama! You should let me do the honor of serving the food." Sayuri wanted to steal her bowl away but Kurama already filled it with miso soup. "Thank you…Kurama-sama." She blushed again and Hiei felt like he wanted to choke. He knew that she fancies him. It also raised his brows when she called him Kurama-sama—stressing on the "sama" part.

"Please, call me Kurama. You can drop the honorifics—I feel like an ancient lord with it." He chuckled which made her blush deeper. His laugh was making the butterflies in her stomach go crazy. "Are you alright?" She heard him ask again when she realized she did not respond.

"Hai…Ku-kurama…" She stuttered and started to feel overwhelmed that she uttered his name. Hiei's eyes travelled from Sayuri to Kurama. He pried her thoughts out of curiosity and they were in jumbles but filled with Kurama.

"If it makes things fair, I'll call you Sayuri." That was the last straw. She was from a very formal environment; calling a very handsome man in first name basis and being called back in return was too much for her. She felt like her brain short circuited. Hiei and Yukina's chopsticks fell from their hands and both were gaping at Kurama's boldness. While on the other hand, Kurama looked so calm and unfazed despite being aware of the woman's consciousness.

-o-

Koenma stumbled upon an old scroll containing ancient dragon tribes' record. He slowly unrolled the pages but it seems most of the document has faded and beyond discernible. The scroll did say that they were completely wiped out in a single catastrophe. The 5 kingdoms where thrown into frozen wasteland. Now that he might know the origins of the Koorime village fear—he needs to know what the prophecy is to be able to contain any destruction. He wondered if the prophecy has been prevented when Sayuri was sealed but his guts' telling him otherwise. It was time to meet the Rekkai Tantei for another mission. He took out his communicator and dialed a specific number.

"Botan, please gather the crew at Genkai's. I'll wait for you there." His message was short and he was about to cut the call but noticed a sudden deflate of Botan's usual bubbly tone. "Is something wrong, Botan?"

"Ah…sorry! Nothing's wrong, Koenma-sama." With that Botan hung up.

He immediately activated the portal to Genkai's temple after alerting the group to gather. He breathed in the moment he stepped out of the portal and letting the familiar scent of the mountain envelope him. It was a long time ago since the Rekkai Tantei had a serious mission that involved saving the three worlds. He sighed as he made his way to the steps of the temple entrance. The place is still quiet; indicating that only Hiei and Kurama are present from the team and the usual habitants of the place. He shook his head and felt a little down knowing he's going to put their lives at risk again. He knew it wouldn't be long that they'd be in this situation again. The three worlds are hosts to cruel beings and it will never run out of it.

His feet lead him to the living room where he found Hiei lounging on the window sill and Genkai drinking her tea. Beyond the window where Hiei perched; his eyes caught sight of the silver haired ice maiden giggling and Kurama who is somewhat in close proximity to the woman. They were talking near the inner veranda where the cherry blossom blooms. He wanted to discuss things with the smartest one in the group but he felt like intruding on the atmosphere between the two. He can see flowers blooming and butterflies fluttering around them.

"Hiei…can you go call Kurama for me?" He'd rather take his chances being cursed by the fire demon than to awkwardly remove Kurama from the girl. Surprisingly, he did not hear any complaints from Hiei.

Little did he know Hiei was finding reason to separate the two since this morning and Koenma just gave him a valid one. Her giggling and blushing is annoying him and more so; Kurama's attentiveness to the girl is annoying him more. A while ago she was admiring his features now her mind is preoccupied with Kurama. Shouldn't she be paying more attention to him? He paused at the thought—a little bit disgusted at himself for remembering what she previously said. What she said is true; " _Your appeal does not affect me one bit."_ He reminded himself that he does not want her attention but only wants to prove her wrong. For god sake, his ego is going to be the death of him. Earlier this morning, he had to go around slamming his fists on huge trees and killing a couple of demons because he couldn't get her image off of his head. He literally needed a shower after that breakfast. He dug his hand into the front pockets of his hoodie. He had grown comfortable with human clothing the past few years—mostly he used it to avoid getting attention to him. This was his favorite as well as a gift from his sister. It was a washout gray hoodie with black long sleeves and black hood. He usually pairs this with his black slacks and black/grey DC Graffik skate shoes that Kurama bought for him.

"I can't believe that you're 2 centuries older than I am…" Kurama beamed a smile that made her catch her breath. This man is intriguingly attractive.

"Well, in experience though—I'm only 529 years old when I was sealed. Any demon that lived for 5 centuries would have had all the knowledge and skills." She sighed as she remembers her days in koorime village. He watched her lower her head and fiddle her fingers on the rose he gave her.

"I wouldn't mind sharing you the history that you may have lost in your slumber." He took a peek under her bangs and wonder at the deep blue eyes she possessed. She returned his gaze but before she could answer, they were interrupted by a certain fire demon.

"Kurama, Koenma has arrived and he was looking for you." Both Kurama and Sayuri turned to where the voice originated from. Kurama stood up and acknowledged Hiei.

"If you'll excuse me, Sayuri—I'll be right back." Kurama politely excused himself.

Hiei watched the ice maiden's face turning pink again. He rolled his eyes and was about to comment until he caught a whiff of Kurama's scent the moment he passed him. Hiei's eyes grew wide in disbelief. He waited until Kurama was out of sight and turned his attention to the ice maiden.

"You should be careful of the fox. Although, he is completely harmless in human form—you better watch out for his real identity. He is not a patient lover." Hiei spoke without sparing her another glance.

"Wha—what exactly do you mean by that, Hiei-san?" Sayuri stammered caused by the last word Hiei made. His brows twitched; so Kurama gets to be called Kurama-sama and he settles for Hiei-san. He shook his head in disbelief and started to go back inside before he felt a tug on his jacket.

"Hiei-san…" Noticing her actions, she immediately let go of his shirt.

"Onna…" His voice was deep as he turned around and stepped closer, making her step back towards the cherry blossom trunk. She can feel her world being sucked in yet she could not identify why she suddenly felt uneasy—scared. She tried to take a side step when Hiei's hand landed on the cherry blossom's trunk and trapping her escape route. Her eyes were filled with fear even more when it landed straight into his. His crimson eyes were dark and filled with abominable intentions that sent chills to her spine. He leaned down until their faces are leveled. She struggled to find words and shake away from the gripping fangs of fear. She couldn't look away from him and started to forget how to breathe. His warm breath easily tickled her face while she's struggling to steady herself.

"You felt cornered…didn't you? You felt that fear looming around as how a mouse would feel in a snake's presence. You'll feel twice as much with Yoko Kurama's pursuit. Ah, my bad. It is not a mouse and a snake—more like a demon in heat and a woman." Hiei chuckled and with a blink he disappeared from her sights.

She felt like she hated him even more. Her face was so red either with anger or embarrassment. She was suddenly made conscious of a man's intention. Surely, Kurama won't do that—he's far too honorable for something that Hiei accused him of. The nerve he has to accuse his friend. She wanted to slap his face hard until she sends his soul into oblivion.

-o-

Hiei and Kurama sat in silence as Koenma explained the situation to them. Hiei was in a deep thought and deliberated if he'd share his opinion about his dreams and the dragons. He slouched forward with both of his elbows on his knees, his hands were clasped and he heaved a deep breath before saying his part.

"I have been dreaming of her..." He looked away; his voice was low and kind of awkward. Kurama and Koenma stared at him with questions in their faces. Sensing their confusion he continued to speak; "…even before the incident when we found her…goddammit."

"Oh…I see." Kurama added. "Are there anything particular with the dream?" Kurama tilted his head and his attention focused on his friend.

"She was asking to be freed. The day I was in Koorime village, I went to look for her." Hiei glided his hands to his nape feeling the stress building up when he realized he might be the cause of it.

"Why didn't you tell us about this? Dreams of being beckoned by a spirit can be a bad omen." Koenma stated in a flat tone that seemed to irritate the fire demon.

"Look, I did not know that she's going to be something of significance until my dragon thawed her out of that freaking ice tomb." His answer was sarcastic. "And yeah, for once I lost control of my dragon—as if it was calling out for her too."

"This is bad…your destinies may have been entwined from long ago. I am not sure the extent of the prophecy however I know it is connected to you. I remember the elders were avoiding any connection with the fire demons." Koenma rubbed his temples as the issue has gotten more complicated when Hiei confessed about his dreams.

"I remember one of them saying that they must not meet…that they should avoid the fire tribe." Koenma and Kurama stared at each other and to Hiei.

"It's not possible…" Kurama eased back into the sofa. "Your banishment and her existence…"

"I was thrown away—so we could not meet." He's eyes grew wide—it was because of her. She was the reason why he was banished from the village. It was partly because of his lineage but somehow he must be banished just to avoid meeting the ice maiden. Hiei gritted his teeth. His scars feel fresh again, gaping and bleeding. His thoughts snapped back when Koenma spoke again.

"However, you've already met. Yet all that happened was an explosion that only caused a minor avalanche." Koenma's head is starting to ache. "Just to be safe, let us observe her for now. I've put restriction bands over her to seal the power."

Kurama stared at Hiei. He seemed to be worrying over his troubled friend. Hiei may have hated the village but knowing she was part of his banishment gave him a more directed object of anger. Kurama feared the worst for the girl and Hiei. He sure hoped that the 2 weeks will be over soon so Yusuke could take over.

Unknowingly, Sayuri's room was right at the top of the living room where they were discussing about the situation. She heard everything and what hurt her most is—knowing that Hiei was thrown away, separated from his sister and mother. She blamed herself and her awakened powers. She felt like she lost everything when she was sealed but she never thought that she took away something from someone because of her existence.

-o-

Sayuri was sitting on the veranda of her room and was staring out to the night sky. She clutched the blanket closer to her body. Hiruseki stones were scattered on her bedroom floor, her futon and on her feet. Her eyes were puffy and her face's a mess. She was so embarrassed to show herself that she didn't get the chance to say goodbye to Kurama and Koenma. She hugged her knees and started to sob again when she felt a light thud on the floor adjacent to her. She looked up only to find Hiei leaning on the railings. His crimson eyes looked as if they were burning yet freezing at the same time. Guilt washed over her again and tears starting to fall non-stop, it sounded like marbles tapping on the wooden floor as they form into stones.

"I do not need your pity, _onna_." His tone was cold and condescending. Damn him for reading her mind. She continued to sob silently and ignored the source of her guilt. He reached for one of the hiruseki stones formed from her tears and gazed at it.

"I am sorry…" That was all she could mutter when she felt strong arms gripping her shoulders. She could feel him seething with anger as he shook her to face him. Something underneath the bandage of his forehead was glowing again. She felt like she was in a trance, like the first time he showed her images of his dreams. Although, he has not transmitted any images this time—she felt like there was something he needed from her.

"Please let me go…" Her voice was so weak.

"I'll let you go when I'm done with you." His abrupt answer made her feel more helpless.

"Hiei-san…" She had no right to be angry at this man. She was the one who took everything from him. For a moment, if he decides to kill her right then and there—she would have been fine with it.

"Yes, you took everything from me. But I neither need your apology nor your death. What I need right now are answers." His right arm let her shoulders go and grabbed her face. He was nowhere near gentle. She winced at the pain as his calloused fingers roughly grip her cheeks.

"Well, it seems you don't need to ask them since you're forcefully prying them out of my head…" He ignored her and continued to take information from the dreams she had. He needed answers of their existence—their purpose. Then he tapped on to an entity within her. It was trying to convey something to him but it was weak—barely audible. He started to feel his arms heat up. His dragon was reacting again. However, this time it was more soothing and far different from the raging desires to be unsealed when he thawed her out of the glacier. He felt that the same tug in his mind again. He tried to reach for the source but failed.

"There's nothing useful from you either. Listen _onna,_ and listen well…" His eyes bore deep into hers. "…I will collect everything you took from me." She felt his hands let go and shoving her back to the floor. When she looked up, he was gone again.

He thought he could search for anything within her subconscious mind for any possible clues that caused both of their damnation. He was angry knowing he had to be left for dead and he didn't understand why it has something to do with her. All his life, he believed that his lineage was the whole cause of his exile. He partly blamed his mother for falling in love with a fire demon who didn't even bothered to search for him and his sister. Oh how wrong he is all this time; there was even something bigger beyond his trivial deductions of why he was thrown out of that cursed village and treated as an abomination. His pain is slowly consuming him again—the demons from his closet are out to get him. He clenched his fist and noticed that he was still holding on to a hiruseki stone— _her tears._

Hiei had the urge to return back to her with his hands enclosed on her solidified tears. He knew that she did not intend for this to happen. Deep inside, he was aware that his displaced anger should not have been pointed towards her. They were both deprived of things they longed for. There was so much more behind that woman. She was hardworking and helpful to everyone in the Koorime village. He closed his eyes as her memories are still etched in his mind. Despite being the village healer, despite being adored, despite extending her help to those who needed her—they still sealed her and left her trapped.

"Damn this all." He turned around and retraced his steps—launching from one branch to another finding his way to back to the temple and to her veranda. He found her groggy and helpless right where he left her. He may have overdone it when he searched for her memories.

The chill wind was lulling her tired body to sleep. She wanted to move but she has no strength left. His prying on her mind had drained most of her energy. She felt her eyes starting to get heavier by the minute. She felt her body slowly succumbed into slumber. Just when she finally gave in, the last thing she saw was a dark hooded figure gathering her into his arms.

Hiei slowly placed one of her arm on his neck while he adjusts her body to securely carry her. He caught his breath as he noticed that she's only wearing a thin piece of clothing under the blanket that he just removed. He felt her soft mounds against his chest that made him pause.

 _"_ _This is not the time for perverted thoughts idiot…"_ He cursed and steadied himself after he slid another arm under her knees. To his dismay or the lack thereof, her hadajuban is loose. It barely covered her skin and he drank the view that welcomed him. He shook his head and focused on bringing her back to bed. He slowly tucked her in and watched her breathe in and out. He noticed a lot of stones were scattered in her room. She was a handful and so was he. He decided to gather all of her tears and put them all in to his pocket. He left her veranda door open just like she always wanted and leaped towards his favorite branch on the cherry blossom tree. He felt conflicted about everything, he was angry at her yet he couldn't completely blame her for his misfortune. They both had their fair share of adversities; she was nearly sealed for eternity and he was exiled.

 **End Notes:** Just a little information for some words that may not be familiar to some:

Natto – a traditional Japanese food made from soybeans fermented with Bacillus subtilis

Dogeza – is an element of Japanese manners by kneeling directly on the ground and bowing to prostrate oneself as touching one's head to the floor.

Hiruseki stones – these are expensive stones from an ice maiden's tears, so yeah Hiei's rich now!


End file.
